Laparoscopic appendicectomy at the Aga Khan Hospital, Nairobi.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate our experience of laparoscopic appendicectomy at the Aga Khan Hospital, Nairobi over a six year period from the inception of the technique and to assess its advantages and disadvantages. DESIGN Case series study. SETTING The Aga Khan Hospital, Nairobi. PATIENTS One hundred and six cases operated on from May 1996 to June 2002. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Clinical presentation, age and sex demographics, average hospital stay, operating time, intra-operative and post-operative complications and outcome. RESULTS There was a female preponderance with a female to male ratio of 2:3:1. Mean age was 30.6 years. There was a slightly more number of patients with recurrent appendicitis as opposed to the acute form. Totally laparoscopic procedure was in 39.6% of the cases, laparoscopic assisted in 45.3%. The conversion rate to an open procedure was 15.1%. Post operative port-site infection was 8.5%. No mortality was reported in these series. However there was one case which required re-operation following significant port site haemorrhage. Mean post-operative hospital stay was 2.2 days. CONCLUSION Laparoscopic appendicectomy is a safe procedure in well trained hands. The major advantages are less morbidity and excellent cosmesis. Discovery of other intraabdominal pathologies is possible through laparoscopy as opposed to classical appendicectomy.